1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the construction of a chair suitable for use in an office environment, and more particularly to a chair which is designed to have a reclinable back that is pivotably connected to an armrest assembly in a novel and highly economic manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seating articles, such as chairs, often are so constructed as to provide position adjustment of various parts of the chairs. This is particularly true of chairs used in office environments where office workers are frequently seated over long periods of time. In one such chair construction the chair back is designed to be reclinable relative to the seat allowing the user to selectively lean back in the chair if desired. An example of such a chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,035 issued Jan. 23, 1996 to Koepke et al., wherein the chair has a reclinable back, and the seat and back are interconnected by a stiff resiliently flexible transition connection connecting the seat rear portion and the back lower portion. The seat front portion is pivotably mounted on a support whereby reclining of the back raises the seat rear portion producing an occupant weight operated reclinable chair having a substantially uniform back reclining force requirement throughout the reclining range of motion.
In conventional office chair construction it is sometimes economical to manufacture the seat and back of the chair using molded plastic shells. In one such form of construction, the seat and back may each include two mating contoured shells, namely an upholstery shell and an outer shell. The upholstery shell in this construction is typically provided with suitable padding covered over by a layer of fabric or other similar upholstery material. The fabric layer, or the like, usually wraps over the peripheral edges of the shell and is fastened on the rear side of the shell. The outer shell which may or may not be similarly upholstered is then fastened to the back side of the upholstery shell thereby concealing the fastened edges of the fabric, lending an aesthetically pleasing finished appearance. A number of methods exist for fastening the shells together to create a finished chair. Such methods include the use of screws and snap fitting means cooperating between the two shells. However, the use of screws, for example, particularly if the screws are exposed to view is not as desirable aesthetically as a screwless appearance. Moreover, snap fitting means can make it difficult to take the chair apart once it is assembled, such as for reupholstering.
A chair having a reclinable back such as the above-mentioned Koepke et al. chair can be constructed using a variety of techniques, designs and appearances. In one particular form, such a chair may be made with armrests comprising tubular members that are pivotably attached to the reclinable back. The seat and back of such a chair may also be constructed using the afore-mentioned plastic molded shell technique including an upholstery shell and a mating outer shell. However, in such a chair construction, it is desirable to provide a pivotable attachment means for the armrest and back connection which is convenient to install and is reliable in use. It is further desirable to provide such an attachment means which not only serves to pivotably secure an armrest tube but also serves to provide a positive attachment of the two shells of the chair back without displaying the appearance of having exposed hardware.